Tank filling device



July 27, 1943. v c 7 2,325,274

TANK FILLING DEVICE Filed Oct. .20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor QLR. Pye

July 27, 1943. c, F PYE 2,325,274

TANK FILLING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor C. F. Pye

Patented July 27, 1943 The development, of the internal combustion motor has resulted in: atremendous-advancein machinery for variousit'ypes of Work. This-1's especially true. on: the farm wheretractors-Jcom bines, threshing; machinery: and the". like have been brought to-a highstaten ofperieotioniby. its

use. ,In the'designofmuclrroi' this: machinery, it has been found necessary to plane thekmotor in an elevated position andzaccordinglwthexfuel for-same must. be: elevatedzto' the supply tanks.

Obviously, .to manuallyoarry suchdfueliup freiquently results inzspillingrwhl'chaforms a fire-haze ardi. Very; oftenzsuohspille'd. fuel falls: on the ignition; wires: and spark; plugs oausingrconsider able trouble while: itfals'o aifordsiazbasexfordust and dirt to collect on. Foreign material may be blown intothe fuel by the'wind' and the-filling operation at the:elevat'edipositionisiusually' awkward. It is not only -a;'..time consumingop eration. but. tiring on the in'dividual doingi it. All ofithe above 'is madeeven' more-diflicult-if the;filling must be done at-night whichfr'equently happens in the harvest time. i I While the aboveremarks aredlreetedtomotor fuel and farmwork, it will be easily-understood that" other liquids present:- the same difliculties and such diificulties 'occurin: widely different looat'ions and other branches of industry. The present invention-isa radical improvement over my iormer application" for Tania-n e vices filed April 28} 1939} under Serial Number 270,629 which; has matured into Patent No. 2,225,844issued'December 24; 1940} The principal object of the present invention is'the same as myformerapplication-namely; to provide a valve'whic'h' nay betemporariliiior permanently attached -to'-the' filler member of-an elevated tank and"by"u'tilizing the low pressure developed in an internal combustion motor, through a pipeto said valve, liquid-maybe drawn up into said-elevated tanlr through a-s econdary pipe from a lower container. I Further similar objects are; to-pre ent waste,

spilling or contamination to the-liquid and so eliminate fire hazards or injury to the "mechani;

c'al 'p'artsof the motor; no-aIteratiOns- =wi11 be' requ'irecl in the tankor motor hor'Willtliebperationsof'same b'einterferedwithi v v A furtherobject of the present-'invention is fto obtain-the above advantages bysimpler, cheaper and more efocientimeansi and :saidameansmay be shipped in: a compact: size. and: t mayi besquick-ly A;furtherobject-is to; provideawi$ible inch,-

Qatar, r g teri he u n ty l u d n th i'el vat i ank. at a l tim s W151 re i teri smallv an 1 t 1 r 7 ur rpbiec is w nIQv d -en auto a ic q posi ive a t n shut-0 f; ion t 5 495 pipe to e motor will onere esw en h e t dl k. is fill tothe req ired 1 12 A-- ti urth q ic the ntention s. to

provide sa et -device tq preven themm of t e e evat d: tank h ld th inter-ion re su th e fr rbn b l w a Preet rminesli 5 ting.

, With 7 o ject ;-intvi w whichaw l ecome. more? appa a a t e d scr p ionp o eeds; iherinven i c ns in th arran ent andi nnsimction 01 pa ts; h nafter mo e r ularly fls r d, e e ce e had to t e a companying: drew? s n-wh hi Fi ural is: a d ramma c v e ijq t e a bly c H i V Fi ure: 2 is a n a d v rt al sect o a view hrough -the e t o a d; n rt yg ow ne t elevated tank? p *1" f ure fiy is an en a ged o izon a take ontthe'l n 'fvee o Fi ure r taken'on the-line- L-q-liigurezs I Figure-Finis an inverted shorizontalv. section Figureeyis: a3 perspective-;-view showing the shaperof-thqpush wire'on:the-upper -end of the i Figure B isia vertical: sectional view showingat oheap modified form of the inventionw Eigureril'is ariurther modification of-Figure 8.-

manifold 2 A- tank, containingj liquid;toqbe -eler vated; is-indicated-at 3': An elevated:t'etnl: for receiving :liquid \is indicated at'li and-fiswprovided with an .upper extension 5, 'having the edges thereof rolled over: to provide; an inner. ledge 6 Which encircles; an openings-through which the tankis filled. Atdiametricallyoppositesides,

the ledge 6 is provided with cut-outs T for: the

lo k n members of the: ordinary capnmot own t pa s t Q-ugh-= d v s com i in the invent o :Wi inow hw esc ibe t- 1.

the ab v or nt .ensli e e iii hp section a horizontal section onz an enlargeel scalewthrough the shuteloff:value and on theiline;

.the upper part of the extension 5. The lower part, of the lock nut is provided with two dia ;j -.;.v metrically opposite wings I4 which are shaped and designed to pass through the cut-outs I, and upon being turned, to look unde the ledge 6- and hold all of the above parts to the extension.

The upper end of the: reducer T 9 screw threadedly receives a short pipe l having the;-

upper end closed by a screw threaded cap l6.

The cap, in turn, is tapped and threadedly receives an elbow l1, having the other end'screwed into a T IS. The opposite end of the -T is fluidly connected, through anipple IS, with a valve 20,

which in turn, is connected through apipe 2! with the intake manifold 2. I I

From the above it will be apparent that; when the motor is running, and thevalve is open, therewill be'a'reduced pressure from the motor t o the interior of the short pipe 15.:

The central part of the short pipe [5 is cut away at either side, as shown in Figure 3,"to form sight openings 22. The interior of the tank 3 and by this means, a fluid connection is made between the tank 3 and the tank4.

In operation, with the motor running and the various parts in the positions described, the valve 20 is turnedon. The suction of the motor draws air from the hose 36, through the tank 4, up the pipe 24, to the intake manifold. The resulting low pressure in the parts mentioned causes the atmospheric air to force the liquid from thegtank=3 up the hose 26,.down the nipple I l to sprayfover the flared member into the tank 4. The flared member also prevents liquid from passing up the pipe 24 at this time.

,As the tank fills, the float rises, causing the pin 32to rise, and when the level of the liquid reaches the bottom of the pipe 24, the sudden rush of liquid thereup causes the pin 32 to leave the wire 3I-and the point thereof enters and pipe receives a glass'tube 23 which abuts, through V m a suitable gasket, the-lower part of the cap f6. A pipe 24 screws into the ,lowerend of the pipe l5 and; through a suitable gasket','"holds the glass tube firmly and air tightly therewithin; The 7 lower end of the pipe 24 slidably receives'a do'wnwardly flared member 25' and the end of the pipescrew threads into a nut 26. A U shaped 'wire- 21 extends downinto the tank 4-andtheupper ends of the U are soldered or otherwise fastened to opposite sides of the'nut '26. At suitable intervals along :the U shaped wire, rings 28 are inserted and soldered to space and re-enforce thewire and also retaina tubular float 29 which is supported on a spring 30 from the'bottom'of'the U.- The upper end-of the float is fastened to a centralupwardlyextending wire 3|, the'upper endof which termi- 'nates in a' horizontal-ringto sup'port an aluminum pin 32 having the upper end sharpened to apoint-33." iii. 6

. When th'e'tank4 ie empty, the weiglit -of the pin 32, wire 3| and float 29 are supported by the spring- 30 and the point 33 of the pin. 32 is 'within the glass tube 23 and observable therethrough. atthebottomofthe sight openings '22. As theta'nkflllsithe. float rises, releasingthe spring tension and;,raisingthe1pin 32 in relation to the sight openings until thetankis full,

atzwhich' time the point of the pin .will be level vwiththe; upperiend 'ofthe sight openings; Accordin'gly,' the point of the pin 32, in its positank 39 a Y closes off the opening in the elbow IT, thus shutting off the suction from the tank 4.

. ln order to bring the tank 4- back to atmospheric-pressure,the valve2|- is turned. A deanti-clockwise direction, the suction is disconnected-and airvcanpass from the outside atmos- .phere, through-a passager39 inthe-valve casing,

the passage 3'Iand the bi-passage 38 into the nipple l9 and sd'raise the air pressure above the pin 32. Accordin ly,'the pin drops and air will beadmitted to'the tank 4 therepast. Any

liquidin the hose-33min: drain back'to the Should any-foreign .m'atter enter the hose and {partially Or -fully, plug samev during the fillingpperation; the. reduced pressurev resultingin-the' tank '4 might collapse its walls. To avoid this-asafetydevice 40 isprovided. A nipple 4| is screwed intoflthe lower connection of the T l8 ,andjthelowerrend of the nipple is capped by a 'cup, shaped member 42, having a 'smallcentralhole43 in'the, bottom. A pencil shapedplunger 44 is-slidably mounted in the nipple 4| and the lower pointed end isreceived within the-;h01 e;..43 ,.t0' close same againstthe .jentrance of atmospheric air. Should the "air .pressujrejnjthe connections and tank 4 be reduced; below- ;a safe level; atmospheric air acting on -:the plunger will'lift same and the resulting in-rushoi air will maintain the pressure in, the tank 4 at a safe level. Similarly, when the tank is fulland the pin 32 shuts off the suction; the pencil shapedplunger "44 will rise and admit air to the intake manifold. The hole 43 is; designed such that the in-rushing airtherethrough creates an audible whistle which acts as an indicatonto inform the operator that the tank is full orsomething. has gone wrong. From the above itwillbe seen that no alterations are required in the elevated tank or the ,motor. The float portion of .the' device. will pass .down into the tank; through the' fll lingbpening .thereof andxthe device can besealed to the tank by the same means as the former cap. When shipping, the flared member .25 is slid up on the pipe 24 and the nut 26 is unscrewed therefrom to disconnect,thefloat-portion from the upper part.

It can then be cartonedin two pieces of compact size! Celluloid or other transparent material may be substituted "in place of-the glass tube 23. Material of this nature, having many of the workable features of metal i's-now'on themarket and could be substituted in place of the cut-away pipe E5, the glass tube 23 and the cap 15. A piece of The float 23 is made of metal and has considerable weight. When the tank is empty, this weight is supported by the spring 3% As the tank starts to fill the float becomes partly buoyant, rises slightly and proportionately releases the spring of the weight. When the tank is full the float 23, the wire and the pin 32 are completely floated and supported by the liquid and the spring 30 is released of all pressure. By this system the pin 32 only moves a short distance in comparison with the distance the'level of the liquid passes through from empty to a -full tank and therefore, only a short glass 23 and short sight openings are required for visibly indicating the quantity of the liquid in the tank.

The modifications shown in Figures 8 and 9 embody the same principles in a. cheap form. The float and indicator are dispensedwith. In Figure 8 a flat base is provided with a flat annular rubber gasket therebelow. The hose 36 from the lower tank is connected to the extension 41.

A pin 58, similar to the pin 32, is'supported in a when the valve is turned by the handle 53, the

suction will be shut off and atmospheric air admitted.

In operation, the device is laid on the filler opening of the elevated tank with the gasket 48 resting thereon. The suction will then maintain it there. When the tank is full, the sudden rush of liquid up the passage 49 will lift the pin 48 and the point thereof will enter the hole in the valve 5| and accordingly, shut oif the suction. When the valve is turned, atmospheric air enters the opening 52, the pin drops and the tank returns to atmospheric pressure. Most tanks are of a rectangular or oval shape. When the suction is operating thereon the tank walls move in giving a smaller capacity to the tank. When the tank returns to atmospheric pressure the walls return and this will lower the liquid level from the bottom of the passage 49 to a safe'distance within the tank.

The form shown in Figure 9 is the same as Figure 8 with the exception that a cone shaped,

gasket 54 is used. This would centre the device on the filler opening and the suction would have a tendency to more or less wrap the gasket around the walls of the filler opening insuring a'tight contact.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a tank filling device having a source of suction connected through an elevated tank to a lower liquid filled tank to elevate said liquid to said elevated tank: a float mounted for up-down movement in said elevated tank from said device; a chamber fluidly connected to said elevated tank, forming part of said suction connection thereto and having a restricted outlet therefrom; a pin slidably mounted in said chamber and adapted to close said restricted outlet upon being moved therealong; said pin supported by said float; said pin weighing suflicient to be normally unafiected byvapor passing therebyand moveable awayfrom, said float support to close said restricted outlet and shut off said source of suction by the impact pressure of sucked liquid into said chamber.

2. In a tank filling device having a source of 1 suction connected through an elevated tank to a lower liquid filled tank to elevate said liquid to said elevated tank: a float mounted forup-down movement in said elevated tank from said device; a chamber fluidly connected to said elevated tank.

forming part oi said suction connection thereto and having arestricted outlet; apin slidably mounted in said chamber and adapted to close said outlet and shut off said source of suction upon being moved along saidchamber; said pin supported by said float; said pin beingof a weight to be normally unaffected when vapor is passing 1 thereby and moveable away from said float support to close saidoutlet' and shut oil said suction by the impact pressure of sucked liquid into said chamber; and means for admitting atmosphericv said elevated tank and said source of suction and provided with a restricted outlet; a slidably mounted pin located in said chamber and adapted to close said outlet and shut on said source of suction from said chamber upon being moved therealong;'said pin resting on and supported by;said float and visible through a transparent area of said chamber; said float adapted to move upwardly upon said tank being filled with liquid 1 and partly immersing said float and progressively release said spring from its weight as said tank is filling; said pin being of a weight suflicient to be moveably unaffected by the pressure of passing vapor and moveable awayfrom said float support to close said restricted outlet and'shut off saidsuction by the impact pressure of sucked liquid into said chamber.

4. In a tank filling device having a source of suction connected through an elevated tank to a lower liquid filled tank to elevate said liquid to said elevated tank: a member suspended in said elevated tank from said filling. device; a float moveably carried by said member; a slidably mounted pin located in a chamber fluidly connected to said elevated tank'and forming part of said suction connection thereto; said pin adapted to shutoiT said source of suction from said chamber upon being moved therealong; said pin rest-f ing on and supported by.said float and visible through a transparent areaof said chamber; said pin being normally unaffected by said suction when vapor is passing thereby; moveable, away from said float support, to shut 01f said suction upon a sudden rush of liquid into said chamber; means for admitting atmospheric air into said suction connection to create an audible noise upon a pre-determined reduced pres- CARL FRASER. PYE.

said pin being 

